Phoronix, known for their various speed tests and reviews, compared the latest in Ubuntu and what, until recently, used to be the lastest in Mac OS X with 29 different benchmarking tests. Some of the results were rather interesting.

This whole issue has nothing to do with having an open source kernel or gtk vs. cocoa or whatever.

It has everything to do with market share. Linux will get great desktop hardware support (3d graphics, wireless, acpi) when it has decent desktop market share.

The problem is it seems it is never going to happen until Linux gets its act together. I have heard : this is the year of the desktop Linux for the last 10 years.

Why? My guess too many options, too many opinions, to much liberties, too much configuration.

Have you ever try to teach a "normal user" the difference among RGB-BGR sub pixel rendering with hinting or no hinting in the Ubuntu Window configuration? People just look at your face an ask you: How does it look nice? How do I make it look like Mac or Windows?